Piyush Goyal Visits Tesla's Fremont Factory, Musk Apologizes For Not Meeting Him

Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal praised Tesla and emphasised India's contribution to the company's incredible journey during a visit to Elon Musk's Tesla manufacturing facility in Fremont, California, on Tuesday, 14 November.

Goyal, however, informed on X, that he missed the "magnetic presence" of Elon Musk during his visit. In return, Elon Musk has apologised for not being able to meet the Union Minister as he was unwell but has said that he intends to meet him at a later date.

The Union Minister is now in the US on a four-day visit that started on 13 November in order to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit and the Ministerial Meeting of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF).

When Goyal wrote about his visit to Tesla's Fremont factory on X, he mentioned how many skilled Indian engineers and finance experts work at the "state-of-the-art" production facility. He also emphasised the part that auto parts made in India play in the supply chain of Tesla electric vehicles.

"Visited @Tesla's state-of-the-art manufacturing facility at Fremont, California. Extremely delighted to see talented Indian engineers and finance professionals working in Senior positions and contributing to Tesla's remarkable journey to transform mobility,'' Mr Goyal wrote, sharing pictures of his visit to Tesla's state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Fremont.

Piyush Goyal's visit is thought to be an indication that the Indian government has finally decided to give Tesla tax breaks so the electric vehicle manufacturer can establish a plant there.

The Indian government is thinking about lowering the tax on electric vehicles to 15 per cent overall, according to a recent Financial Times story. The study does point out that the administration hasn't decided on the policy yet.